Superstition, Main Cause Of Maternal Morbidity In Ghana- NGOs

Ms Becklyn Ulzen-Christian, National Vice President of Coalition of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Malaria Control, on Wednesday said superstition and misconception accounted for most causes of maternal morbidity in Ghana.

She said in some pregnant women were urged to contact spiritualists on when to attend ante-natal clinic.

Ms Ulzen-Christian made the observation at a press conference organised by the Coalition of NGOs to disseminate the report on a Civil Society Health Forum held last month.

She noted that before some pregnant women got to the clinic, they had missed the first, second and third phases of Intermittent Prevention Treatment (ITP) leading to pregnancy-related complications.

“Some women also believe that the white insecticide treated mosquito nets are used in the burial of corpses therefore, reject them during and after delivery,” Ms Ulzen-Christian said.

2 Responses

Actually, you get similar problems in North America, though to a different extent.

We have Integrated Prenatal Screening, which involves a combination of blood testing and ultrasound to give an estimated risk of certain chromosomal (eg. Down’s Syndrome) and developmental (eg. spina bifida and anencephaly) anomalies in the fetus.

Because knowing one is carrying an abnormal fetus sometimes leads to wanting to terminate the pregnancy, many women refuse this testing. Good Christians don’t do that sort of thing.

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